Extend Databases
The AGS CLI is the unified command-line tool for AGS, and it now includes Extend and AMS tooling. The instructions on this page remain valid today. See the AGS CLI documentation to learn about the unified tool.
Overview
Extend Databases provides serverless database solutions for Extend Apps deployed on AGS. All database types are fully serverless — there are no servers to provision or maintain. You select a profile to configure capacity, attach the database to your Extend App, and connect using automatically injected environment variables.
The following database types are available:
- Extend NoSQL Database — Amazon DocumentDB (MongoDB-compatible) for flexible, document-based storage.
- Extend SQL Database — Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL for relational, ACID-compliant storage.
- Extend Key Value Store — AWS ElastiCache Valkey for high-performance, in-memory key-value storage.
All database types integrate with Extend TCP Tunneling so you can connect directly from a local development environment.
Choosing a Database Type
| Extend NoSQL Database | Extend SQL Database | Extend Key Value Store | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Serverless | Serverless | Serverless |
| Underlying service | Amazon DocumentDB (MongoDB-compatible) | Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL | AWS ElastiCache Valkey |
| Data model | Document (JSON-like) | Relational (tables, rows) | Key-value (in-memory) |
| Schema | Flexible — no fixed schema | Structured — defined schema with migrations | Schema-free |
| ACID compliance | No (limited transaction support) | Yes (full ACID transactions) | No |
| Driver | MongoDB v2 driver | pgx PostgreSQL driver | Redis-compatible driver |
| Connection env vars | DOCDB_HOST, DOCDB_DATABASE_NAME, DOCDB_USERNAME, DOCDB_PASSWORD | SQLDB_HOST, SQLDB_DATABASE_NAME, SQLDB_USERNAME, SQLDB_PASSWORD | REDIS_HOST, REDIS_PORT, REDIS_USERNAME, REDIS_PASSWORD |
| TLS cert env var | DOCDB_CA_CERT_FILE_PATH | SQLDB_CA_CERT_FILE_PATH | N/A — enable TLS in client (TLSConfig) |
Choose Extend NoSQL Database when:
- Your data is document-shaped or has a variable, evolving schema
- You need MongoDB compatibility for existing code or tooling
- You are building features like player profiles, game state, or inventory with nested structures
Choose Extend SQL Database when:
- Your data is relational with well-defined relationships between entities
- You need full ACID transactions (e.g., economy systems, leaderboards, order processing)
- You prefer working with SQL and standard PostgreSQL tooling
Choose Extend Key Value Store when:
- You need sub-millisecond read/write latency
- You are building caching layers, session storage, rate limiting, or real-time leaderboards
- Your access pattern is simple key lookups rather than complex queries
Cluster Lifecycle
All database types follow the same cluster lifecycle managed at the Publisher or Studio namespace level:
- Provision — create a cluster by selecting a database profile (size)
- Attach — connect the cluster to one or more Extend Apps at the Game namespace level
- Update — change the database profile to scale the cluster up or down
- Delete — remove the cluster when it is no longer needed (only when
Available)
Provisioning and updates take a few minutes. The cluster must be in Available status before you can attach a database to an Extend App or connect via TCP tunneling.
Observability
All database types include a Grafana dashboard accessible from the Admin Portal. The dashboard shows CPU utilization, latency, IOPS, and connection metrics for your cluster.